Genre: Historical Gothic
Age Range: Adult
Star Rating: 4 stars
Series: standalone
Blurb:
At The Mercury Theatre in London’s West End, rumours are circulating of a curse. It is said that the lead actress Lilith has made a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse of Greek mythology, to become the greatest actress to ever grace the stage. Suspicious of Lilith, the jealous wife of the theatre owner sends dresser Jenny to spy on her, and, desperate for the money to help her family, Jenny agrees.
What Jenny finds is a woman as astonishing in her performance as she is provocative in her nature. On stage, it’s as though Lilith is possessed by the characters she plays, yet off stage she is as tragic as the muse who inspires her, and Jenny, sorry for her, befriends the troubled actress. But when strange events begin to take place around the theatre, Jenny wonders whether the rumours are true and fears that when the muse comes calling for payment, the cost will be too high.
Blurb taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
I haven’t read a Laura Purcell book in a while – 8 years, I think. I loved her two Georgian Court novels way back when they were first published, and then she shifted to gothic novels rather than finishing the series. I didn’t read any of those so THE WHISPERING MUSE is my first book by Laura Purcell since the Georgian Court novels, a Christmas gift. I have very much enjoyed being reacquainted with the author’s work.
It is the theatre world’s equivalent of dark academia, about obsession and the desire to be the best, even if it means taking down those around you. It’s dark and the disasters could be thanks to deals made with the devil for success – or simply the result of human envy and their desire for revenge.
I enjoyed this duality, being able to pick which version I believed. I think it being entirely human is more shilling because a lot of deaths result from the various characters’ actions. Them alone being responsible for the death is more sinister in my opinions.
The book also cleverly played on your affections for different characters, making you hate some and love some, and then entirely changing your opinion of them as the book went on. I liked having my opinion changed, coming to see the deeper levels of these characters and rooting for the opposite to happen to what I first wanted. It’s very well written.
Read my reviews of others books by Laura Purcell:
Young Adult:
Standalones:
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 